1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to a device for receiving ashes, and in particular, to a container having an attachment adaptable for accepting a suction source for assuring that the dust from ashes placed in the container do not re-enter a room.
2. The Prior Art
The current invention deals with the age old problem of removal of ashes after certain fuels have been burned. When wood or coal are burned in a fireplace or stove located within a building, it is necessary at some point to remove the ashes produced from that combustion. Components of the ash produced from the burning of such fuels may vary in size from very small to quite large. Indeed, it is not unusual for ash produced by burning wood, coal and other similar fuels to contain a large component of very fine particles. It will be appreciated, that removal of these very fine particles of ash dust, from a building may be difficult given the tendency of such particles to float upwardly and enter the surrounding building.
The problem of ash entering a building reached a peak during the time that coal and wood burning furnaces were commonly used as the exclusive source of heat in houses and other buildings. The volume of ash produced by such a coal or wood burning furnace was very large, giving rise to a correspondingly large problem in removing that material from the building. In particular, it was not uncommon for ash dust to coat the furnishings, floor coverings, walls and other items located within a building using a coal or wood burning furnace.
In recent years the problem has again developed. With the rapid increase in the price of fuels used for heating, such as electricity and natural gas, many people have again looked to coal and wood burning stoves and furnaces as heat sources. In recent years the use of small stoves of this type has gained wide acceptance for room heating. As a result, ash removal, and particularly, ash dust removal, has again become a serious and annoying problem.
Various prior art devices have been developed to aid in the removal of ash from coal and wood burning furnaces, fireplaces and stoves. The most popular and widely used method of removing ash is simply to shovel the ash into a bucket of some type and then carry the bucket outside of the building for disposal of the ash. It was found, however, that when the ash was shoveled into the bucket, fine ash dust had a tendency to fly upwardly into the surrounding room. This was a particular problem when removing ash from a fireplace or wood stove located in the living area of a house or other residential building. The ash would simply leave the ash bucket and travel into the room where it would coat the furnishings and other objects contained within the house.
In an attempt to solve some of the problems associated with ash entering a building, various types of hoods and other containers have been developed. For example, ash containers have been developed which include their own chimney. In using these containers, ashes are shoveled into a container which is essentially covered with the exception of a door. Since the container is fully covered, the ash will not re-enter the room. Such devices were provided with their own chimneys whereby the fine fly ash was able to exit the building without entering the living area.
A later variation of the device described above included attachment of the ash hood to the chimney system already existing in the building. Essentially, an ash bin was placed adjacent to a coal or wood burning furnace and the top of the ash bin was placed in communication with the furnace's chimney. As a result, ash could be shoveled from the furnace into the ash bin and the fine ash particles, which would otherwise enter the building, were directed through the furnace's chimney.
A problem which remained in the use of this device was that ash would enter the room while it was being transported from the furnace to the ash container. As a result, a refinement of the device was developed which included an ash hood disposed directly over the entrance to the furnace. Ash dust which would otherwise enter the building when ashes are shoveled from the furnace is caught by the expanded ash hood system. Like the device described above, however, ash was simply placed in a ash bin which was then placed in communication with the main furnace flue.
Other more compact devices have also been developed. For example, one device employs an electric fan which is placed in communication with an ash bucket. The electric fan draws air up from the ash bucket and forces that air into a tube which is placed in communication with the furnace's flue. As a result, it was anticipated that fly ash shoveled into the bucket would be drawn upwardly by the fan into the tube and then discharged into the furnace's flue. Thus, the small ash particles could be removed without allowing them to enter the surrounding building.
One problem encountered with this device, however, was that the fan only covered a portion of the top of the ash bucket. Ash particles were found to make their way out of the bucket without being drawn through the fan. In addition, it was necessary to shovel the ash into the top of the bucket. This maneuver was complicated by the fact that the fan rested on the top of the bucket. As a result, it was necessary to shovel the ash past the fan in order for it to reach the bucket.
It will be readily appreciated that none of the devices mentioned above are particularly useful for small applications. It is contemplated that most of the prior art devices be used with a central furnace system. The ash removed by the ash removal device is typically directed into the central furnace system's chimney or flue for removal. In addition, most of the prior art devices discussed above are simply methods of placing a cover over a conventional bucket. It would be difficult to use such a system in connection with a small fireplace or room heating stove.
In response to some of the problems outlined above, additional devices have been developed which are more portable and feasible for use in connection with individual fireplaces and room heating stoves. These devices typically employ a traditional ash bucket having some type of lid which at least partially prevents the ash from readily entering the surrounding room. For example, one such ash bucket includes a chute in the side of the bucket through which ash can be shoveled. While ash is being shoveled into the bucket, however, the top of the bucket remains shut. As a result, the bucket is able to contain some of the ash which would otherwise flow into the room. Even using this type of device, however, some quantity of ash is very likely to float back out of the container while the container is being loaded. No provision is made, for example, for assuring that ash which enters the containers stays within the container while the container is being loaded.
It is apparent that what is currently needed in the art is a portable, yet effective container for removing ash from coal or wood burning furnaces or stoves. It would be an advancement in the art to provide such a device which could be used in connection with small room heating furnaces and stoves and individual fireplaces. It would also be an advancement in the art if such a device were relatively small and light and was capable of being carried into and out of the room or building as necessary. It would be an advancement in the art if such a device could use suction in order to remove ash without the necessity of being connected to the building's ventilation or chimney system. Such an apparatus is disclosed and claimed herein.